50 'Cron or 50 Summarit

[offshore]

50 'Cron or 50 Summarit? Why?

[RockyIII]

I don't have a 50mm lens. The Summarit is half an inch shorter which sounds nice. It is 10 grams lighter, which is negligible. I would probably go with the Cron because it is slightly faster and two of my three lenses are already Crons.

Rocky

[Gift]

I recomend to you to read Reid review of the 50 Summarit vers cron and others.

It's significant to say that the summarit works as nice, even open wide, as the cron. Except for f/2 vers f/2,5 and half stop it's not important to you, the summarit it's an excellent choice.

[kenneth]

I really like my 35 and 50 Summicrons and can heartily recommend them both. I have no experience of Summarit lenses but as they cost less new one assumes that they are not the same quality as the Summicrons, but I don't really know maybe they are just different

[BuenosDias]

I haven't ever used the 50cron but I do own a 50-summarit.
Given the nice price it is an excellent and lens.

I've attached a photo taken with the 50-summarit.
-michael

[JBA]

Originally Posted by kenneth

I really like my 35 and 50 Summicrons and can heartily recommend them both. I have no experience of Summarit lenses but as they cost less new one assumes that they are not the same quality as the Summicrons, but I don't really know maybe they are just different

Simple. Lenses with smaller maximum apertures are easier to correct for aberrations. This is basically axiomatic. This would make it fairly easy for Leica to offer optically sophisticated lenses with a reasonable maximum aperture (slower than f2 but faster than f2.8) at very reasonable prices using traditional spherical optics because they require less glass and fewer materials generally.

The Summarits are well built, compact and handle beautifully. If I were to get a 75, the Summarit would be my first choice.

[Gentleman Villain]

The summarits also seem to draw with a slightly muted contrast in comparison with the newer version crons that have a crisper modern contrast. I tend to prefer muted contrast lenses when working with digital because of dynamic range....but that's just me and certainly not a problem for others. I absolutely love the look of crons when shooting film.

Some have reported a slight focus shift with the 50 summarit in testing...but there doesn't seem to be anybody reporting focus shift in actual shooting conditions. Just a heads up

[kenneth]

Originally Posted by JBA

Simple. Lenses with smaller maximum apertures are easier to correct for aberrations. This is basically axiomatic. This would make it fairly easy for Leica to offer optically sophisticated lenses with a reasonable maximum aperture (slower than f2 but faster than f2.8) at very reasonable prices using traditional spherical optics because they require less glass and fewer materials generally.

The Summarits are well built, compact and handle beautifully. If I were to get a 75, the Summarit would be my first choice.

I would be interested to try a 75mm Summarit and thank you for the tech talk you have obviously been searching the manuals

[JBA]

Originally Posted by kenneth

I would be interested to try a 75mm Summarit and thank you for the tech talk you have obviously been searching the manuals

Actually, it's what little I seem to recall from the Irwin Puts essay called Leica M Lenses - Their Soul and Secrets. I don't find Puts' essays partucularly easy reading, but this one was worthwhile.

Leica Camera AG - Downloads

[rycm]

Don't have te 50 Summarit, but I have the 75 Summarit, and boy.. it's a sharp lens. The Summarit line is excellent. Well built. I only wish that they had integrated a hood with it like the 90-cron.

[Shootist]

Neither
50 Lux ASPH. This lens does everything.
I'm just about to sell both my 50 Cron and Elmar because I also have the 50 Lux ASPH and the other 2 just sit around. I've tried using them and they are both very good lenses but neither compare to the Lux so I always carry the Lux with me and the other get left at home.

[luigi bertolotti]

Having none of them, I haven't much to say : I have a Summarit 75 - excellent in anything apart the hood; but If I'd have to choose between the two 50s of this thread, I think I would go fro the Summicron : not a great difference in price (considering the addon cost of the hood) for almost 1 stop more, a legendary name, maybe a better build quality: a Summicron 50 is probably one of the items which is really a long lasting VALUE... not sure it's like that for Summarits.

[Jeff S]

+1 on 50 lux asph, if you can afford it...have had cron as well, but this one is superb in all ways.

+1 on subscribing to Sean's reviews....you'll learn about differences in many 50's, not just these, and then you can better understand how each, given your needs and preferences, holds up.

Or, forget all this and just go with your budget...either of the lenses you mention are capable of producing wonderful pics, and have no significant problems.

Jeff

[leitz_not_leica]

There is no bad 'cron, buy in confidence. As for the 'rit line...leave these financial/practical/short-cut compromises that led to these 'discount' lenses behind, IMHO.

[SteveYork]

The answer deals with whether you need the extra speed of the summicron. For film, the answer is probably affirmative. For digital, probably not. In terms of optics, they are both good. The 50 Summicron is legendary, but remember the quality of a picture has more to do with how you use light and composition, then the resolving power of a lens. That's something I think we sometimes forget in this digital age.

[luigi bertolotti]

And... i forgot to mention it before... the Summicron is also available in silver... I know it's stupid... but for me and others this is another plus...

[underground]

50 Cron

Kick ass lens!!!

[akiralx]

Originally Posted by leitz_not_leica

There is no bad 'cron, buy in confidence. As for the 'rit line...leave these financial/practical/short-cut compromises that led to these 'discount' lenses behind, IMHO.

Even taking into account reports and reviews that suggest the Summarit is at least the equal of the Summicron?

[Shootist]

Originally Posted by akiralx

Even taking into account reports and reviews that suggest the Summarit is at least the equal of the Summicron?

Although the summarit may be optically close or even equal to a summicron it does not have the built in lens hood, or even a included lens hood, is 1/2 stop slower, I think the summarit only has a one year warranty and doesn't come with the leather case.

[akiralx]

Originally Posted by Shootist

Although the summarit may be optically close or even equal to a summicron it does not have the built in lens hood, or even a included lens hood, is 1/2 stop slower, I think the summarit only has a one year warranty and doesn't come with the leather case.

I accept that - though the Summarit is cheaper, lighter, shorter, thinner, and the bags are more useful than the leather cases in my opinion, but it was really the reference to the Summarit being a 'discount' lens involving 'compromises' that I thought was wrong. I think Sean Reid's site has blown that theory out of the water.